Byelection has record number of candidates
The impending federal byelection in LaSalle‑Émard‑Verdun has a record 92 candidates, more than any other in our history. CTV goes on to explain that 79 are from the Longest Ballot Committee, a group protesting Canada’s voting system. The vote is on September 16.
jeather 09:19 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
I agree with their ends but am unsure if the means are effective. Very glad that’s not my riding.
Mark Côté 09:29 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
Evidence would show that nothing has been effective in reforming our voting system, which tells me that any and all approaches should be on the table. Diversity of tactics!
Kate 09:40 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
jeather, you and I have both worked as scrutineers. The sheer hassle caused by a ballot like that would make the job much more difficult, both in explaining the situation to voters, and counting ballots at the end. I don’t suppose they’ve considered this, or else they just don’t care.
jeather 10:57 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
Yes, I did one municipal one where I had to write down all the candidates for maybe 5 posts, I can’t imagine the misery of prepping the forms for this ballot, more than anything else. (Imagine doing it for CDN-NDG.) A meter long ballot! You would need so many boxes to fit them all. And I think it’s fixed pay even if you are there until 3 am counting.
Kate 11:03 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
I hope the workers take note of how many voters simply walk away from the shitshow of trying to find their preferred candidate on the ballot.
If I were a legitimate candidate I’d be furious that the election was being turned into a stunt.
Nicholas 11:27 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
The reason this is feasible is that the Supreme Court ruled the deposit was unconstitutional. (You used to have to pay $1,000, and got it back if you got 10% of the vote.) Now all you need to get on the ballot is 100 signatures, plus some paperwork. There are various ways to make this harder to become a candidate, but that no party has proposed such a change means it’s not going to happen.
Jeather, the feds pay by the hour, and will be very understanding given the long ballot. Since 2021, they also pay overtime at 8 hours. Municipal and provincial pay a flat rate that gives each position the pay rate times a certain amount of time (usually an hour after polls close).
JaneyB 11:31 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
Thanks for the heads-up on this. That’s my riding. I pity the election workers.
jeather 12:02 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
Ah, thanks, I did not remember the differences in how they paid.
jeather 12:18 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
JaneyB please vote in this election and tell me what the ballot looks like, how many boxes are on the tables, anything at all about the process. I’m so curious.
Tim S. 14:03 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
Should it be harder to be a candidate? All those people (or their agents) had to round up 100 citizen signatures. If you think this is stupid, then don’t sign, but I am actually am encouraged that so many people are willing to let their fellow citizens take a shot at running.
jeather 14:12 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
I would assume that if you’re willing to sign for 1 candidate for the Longest Ballot Party you’re willing to sign for 5 or so — more than that would get annoying. But that really reduces signatures needed.
Joey 16:15 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
@Tim S., isn’t the most likely outcome that the federal government (either via legislation or some kind of directive) increases the barriers to becoming a candidate if these stunts continue? Hard to imagine Elections Canada will head into a national election with potentially dozens of candidates in each riding. @Nicholas referred to an SCC decision eliminating the deposit, so it would hardly be a walk in the park, but I would imagine the odds of this kind of thing continuing are smaller than the odds of Canada abandoning first-past-the-post.
Nicholas 16:16 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
I express no opinion on how easy it should be to run, just explaining why it is this way when it wasn’t before. If I were running a hundred people as a protest campaign I would gather a few dozen voters and all the petitions and just have them line up and sign them sequentially. Do this a few times and you could be done in an hour. In past cases of this most people did not live anywhere close to the riding, so you really just need a hundred people across the country willing to put their names down to run each time, and a dozen volunteers to help collect signatures. Again, not saying there should be a residency requirement (I personally hate them), but there isn’t, and it won’t change because tons of MPs live outside their riding too.
Nicholas 17:50 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
Joey, one saving grace for the general election is that no person may appear on the ballot in more than one riding on the same election day. These groups always concentrate on one riding to have maximum media impact, but to get 100 people on the ballot in every riding you’d need over 30,000 candidates, and 3 million signatures, plus all the other paperwork, all in 15 days. If they had that kind of organization they’d probably be able to get some people actually elected!
JaneyB 21:58 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
@jeather – I’ll definitely be voting. I’m also now curious what the ballot will look like. I’ll let everyone know. 🙂
Kate 23:12 on 2024-08-27 Permalink
JaneyB: As I was told, voters are not supposed to take a photo of their ballot or the mark they put on it, BUT, since nobody is allowed to watch you as you’re marking your ballot, they can’t stop you.
Steph 09:12 on 2024-08-28 Permalink
One person can sign for 100 different candidates. The Longest Ballot Committee only needs 101 organized members in each riding to put 100 people on the ballot. I’ll sign for you, and you sign for me… x100.